. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Refuge on Hatteras Island. "It changed the water levels over there on the swamps, but it didn't really convert them from for- ested wetlands," Noffsinger says. To restore Alligator River to its original pocosin state, or as near to that as possible, Fish and Wildlife plans to raise the water table. To do so, workers are building a series of water blockades known as flash- board risers, installing large pieces of metal culvert pipe and blocking water flow with 2-by-6 planks at the level of the swa
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Refuge on Hatteras Island. "It changed the water levels over there on the swamps, but it didn't really convert them from for- ested wetlands," Noffsinger says. To restore Alligator River to its original pocosin state, or as near to that as possible, Fish and Wildlife plans to raise the water table. To do so, workers are building a series of water blockades known as flash- board risers, installing large pieces of metal culvert pipe and blocking water flow with 2-by-6 planks at the level of the swamp floor. The water levels never will be exactly what they were before buildings, agriculture and roads, Noffsinger says. But if the agency is successful, the water-level changes should benefit much of the wildlife on the refuge, from raccoon to waterfowl, he says. Waterfowl populations have dropped in recent years, primarily because of a lack of breeding area in the Northeast, Noffsinger says. Refuge managers are ex- perimenting with ways to draw waterfowl back. They are using pumps, which once drained farmland, to seasonally flood and dry the area. Birds will be attracted to food that grows there. Five years ago, workers counted just 200 wood ducks at Alligator River, Noffsinger says. By 1990, they counted 30,000 ducks. "To me," Noffsinger says, "that is a real success that we've achieved so ; But what hasn't happened at Alligator River is the creation of easy access for the public. Ask for refuge information at the Dare County visitors' center and you'll get a brochure on Pea Island, but nothing on Alligator River, save a warning about snakes â or simply a. Scoti D- Taylor statement that the refuge isn't open to visitors. That's not quite true; people are allowed on parts of the refuge â on Buffalo City Road, the canoe trails and soon on foot trails the service is creating. Volunteers and refuge staff lead educational programs in the commu- nity and
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